Reli 73h Textbook Index

Bones of Contention

Ambros, Barbara R.

Published by University of Hawai'i Press

Ambros, Barbara R.

Bones of Contention: Animals and Religion in Contemporary Japan.Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2012.

Project MUSE.Web. 21 Aug. 2015. http://muse.jhu.edu/.

For additional information about this book

Access provided by The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (22 Aug 2015 06:08 GMT)

http://muse.jhu.edu/books/9780824837204

Index

Page numbers in boldface type refer to illustrations.

abortion. See mizukoAdachi Yoshiyuki, 195n1afterlife: of pets, 163–65, 168, 175–83, 176, 179. See also karma

altars, 132–38, 133, 151, 165, 169, 175Amaterasu Ōmikami (deity), 163Amitābha Sutra, 201n70amulets, 29, 67, 92, 95, 99, 171animal memorial rites, 9, 49–51,

112–13; bears and, 57; burials and, 49, 86–87, 112, 127; definition of, 52–53; in food industry, 71–81; livestock and, 72–74; pet memo-rial rites versus, 112–13; premodern, 52–56; at research laboratories, 80–83, 210n106; spiritualist views of, 165–66; taxation of, 101–4, 121; whales and, 57–62, 61, 62, 75, 85; at zoos, 83–87. See also memorial rites

Animal Welfare Day, 81, 86animal welfare legislation, 82, 96, 112anthropomorphism, 14, 19–20, 163,

198n48Anti-Subversive Activities Law,

212n12Aoyama Cemetery (Tokyo), 187–88, 188, 190–91

aquariums. See zoosAsquith, Patricia, 23, 80–83, 115astrology, 32–33. See also psychics

Aum Shinrikyō sarin attack (1995), 7, 12, 93, 121, 166, 184, 193, 212n12

Azusawa Boen cemetery (Tokyo), 125–26, 148–49, 153–54, 161–62

Bailey, Bodart, 44bakemono (“shape-shifter”), 28, 45Bakhtin, Mikhail, 194Bargen, Doris, 28Batō Kannon (bodhisattva), 38–39, 106, 203n88

bears, 49, 57, 58beastly existence (chikushōdō), 26, 35–

38, 63, 125, 181; Batō Kannon and, 203n88; posthumous names and, 111; spiritualist views of, 159–60, 175–77; terms for, 199n27, 200n31

Bekoff, Marc, 210n106Benten (deity), 76–77Bernstein, Andrew, 127, 153Bestor, Theodore C., 79Bin (Buddhist cleric), 31blood festival, 55blowfish, 76–79, 78bōshō (beasts), 35Botanikakyō (Botany Sutra), 24Boym, Svetlana, 87Brahma Net Sutra (Bonmōkyō), 37,

38, 40, 42, 159Brasher, Brenda, 193Bukkyō Heiwa Kai pet cemetery

(Kawasaki), 141Bulliet, Richard, 21–22burial. See cemeteries

258 | Index

Carrier Pigeon Association, 70, 71cats, 4, 5, 63; gravestone of, 176; spirit

possession by, 45, 64; vengeful spir-its of, 164–70, 183–84

cattle, 43; disposal of, 49, 112, 127; as draft animals, 40; foot-and-mouth disease in, 72–73; memorial rites for, 73–74

cemeteries, 6; critics of, 93, 110–11, 163, 192–94; Foucault on, 15, 125; iconography of, 39; necrogeography of, 11, 13, 124–26, 141–55, 144, 148; profitability of, 99–100, 130; in United States, 125, 140, 196n27; zoo animals in, 86. See also cremation

chikushōdō. See beastly existencechi matsuri (blood festival), 55Chōfukuji Temple (Niigata Prefec-

ture), 141, 149–51, 150Chōrakuji Temple (Nagoya), 94circuses, 83. See also zooscock fights, 49Como, Michael, 31, 34–35Contemplation Sutra, 201n70Corporate Tax Law, 92, 101, 109, 118cosmology, 17, 28–35Covell, Stephen, 93Cove, The (film), 17cremation, 138–42; Buddhist views of,

132; burial after, 124–32, 165; con-troversies about, 126–27; human, 127, 131, 146; joint-species burials after, 13, 143–55, 148, 150, 174; laws governing, 127; memorial rites and, 107, 115, 116, 130–32; process of, 146; spiritualist views of, 164, 165; trucks used for, 131, 174. See also cemeteries

Daimaru Hideshi, 83, 210n113Davies, Douglas, 146Day of the Beloved Horse, 67deer, 29–32, 41, 159, 202n76disposal. See waste disposaldivination (mikuji), 29, 92, 95dōbutsu (animals), 24, 28, 45; chikushō

versus, 159–60; kigyō versus, 27, 200n31

dōbutsu kuyō. See animal memorial rites

dōbutsu no bodaiji (ancestral temple for animals), 117

dogs, 4–5, 187; development of mortu-ary rituals for, 63; folklore of, 64, 202n76; gambling on fights of, 49; legal protections for, 43–44; mili-tary memorials to, 69–71; military uses of, 66–67, 207n50, 208n57; po-lice, 67, 86; raccoon, 19, 28, 34, 64; seeing-eye, 67, 86, 173, 205n2; stray, 44; stupas for, 64

doll memorial rites, 54, 95, 111–12, 208n52; pet versus, 115–17; taxation of, 101, 102, 121

dragons, 25, 33, 39, 60, 159; torments of, 36, 202n74

Ehara Hiroyuki, 172–75, 179–80, 185, 221n74

Ekōin Temple (Tokyo), 104–10, 106, 132; fees of, 107–8; Tax Agency’s lawsuit against, 90–91, 108–14, 117–22

Elder, Glen, 14ema tablets, 99, 177Emel, Jody, 14, 198n45environmentalism, 46, 80, 81Episcopal Church, 196n27

Index | 259

euthanasia, 8, 48, 183, 205n124exceptionalism. See uniqueness theoryexorcism, 46. See also spirit

propitiation

falconry, 41, 56fee schedules, of pet cemeteries, 96–

99, 103–4, 107–8, 213n35Fischer, Arlene, 220n40fish, 4, 40, 166, 195n1; memorial steles

to, 75–79, 78flower-offering ceremony, 7folklore, 19–20, 36, 44–48, 64,

201n49, 202n73, 202n76Foster, Michael, 28Foucault, Michel, 15, 125foxes, 45–47, 64, 125Fudge, Erica, 13–15, 155, 184Fugen (bodhisattva), 63Fugu Cuisine Association, 76, 77, 78Fujii Masao, 218n12Fujiwara no Akimitsu, 3, 195n6Fujiwara no Senshi, 3, 195n6fukumarusai (abundant-fortune fes-

tival), 55Fukuzawa Yukichi, 24Fuwa Kyōzō, 171, 175

Gago, Baltazar, 200n31Genshin, 25–26, 36geography, animal, 198n45. See also

necrogeographygeomancy, 32–33Gere, Richard, 189ghosts, 19, 25, 28, 34, 45, 47, 64; hun-

gry, 1, 26, 75, 160, 181Gibo Aiko, 47, 163–66, 184, 221n71,

221n74Gilhus, Ingvild Sælid, 3

Gokoku Shrine, 121gokuraku. See Land of BlissGolden Light Sutra, 38, 42goldfish, 4, 166, 195n1goma ritual, 116goryō shinkō. See vengeful spiritsgravestones, 65, 95, 98, 146–52, 150,

165, 176, 188Grier, Katherine, 4, 5, 14Grumbach, Lisa, 40–42, 55

Hachikō, Loyal, 68, 113, 187–94, 189, 192

Hachikō Spirit Propitiation Festival, 187–92

Hachiman (deity), 43Hallam, Elizabeth, 140, 152, 155hamsters, 1, 105, 139haniwa (clay figurines), 29Hansen, Paul, 74, 207n41, 209n78Hara Takahito, 122–23Harasawa Pharmaceutical Company,

80Hardacre, Helen, 162, 212n19,

216n27Hartsdale Pet Cemetery (Westches-

ter, N.Y.), 140, 196n27Heart Sutra, 94, 156heaven, 26, 71, 73, 101, 141, 158, 160–

61, 171, 175–84; and earth, 31–32, 167, 200n32, 219n28; of the thirty-three divinities, 39, 42. See also Rainbow Bridge

Helland, Christopher, 11Hockey, Jenny, 140, 152, 155hōjōe, 42–43, 204n106Honda Shōkei, 105, 107–9, 113Hōnen, “Moonlight” poem of, 108,

213n36

260 | Index

honzōgaku (materia medica), 44–45, 57

horses, 49, 112, 127; memorials to, 63, 66–71, 69; military use of, 64, 66–67; for racing, 207n40

Hoshino Eiki, 8–9, 113Hōshūtei Riyū, 59–62, 61, 62Hōtokuji Temple (Tokyo), 139, 144Huber, Toni, 203n99hungry ghosts, 1, 26, 75, 160, 181. See

also ghostshunting, 49; of bears, 57, 58; of deer,

41; legislation on, 40–44, 203n99; rituals of, 29, 52; of whales, 57–58, 206n32

Ichimiya Naomi, 114Iida Takesato, 200nn31–32Iida Motoharu, 205n124ikimono (animal), 200n31Inari (deity), 30, 76Inoue Enryō, 46Internet, 51, 90, 128, 139, 158, 197n39;

pet loss sites on, 7–8, 11, 177–78Inu no sō to kuyō (Tomidokoro),

127–28, 166–67ireisai. See spirit propitiationIshida Osamu, 205n124Itabashi Masafumi, 82Itami Jūzō, 123Itō Keisuke, 45, 120Iwakura Yuki, 48Izumi Memorial Park (Tokyo),

146–47, 148Izumo Sayoko, 163–64

Japan Kennel Club, 4Japan Pet Loss Society, 179, 220n40Jikei’in cemetery (Tokyo), 151, 170Jimyō Shōnin, 94

Jimyōin Temple (Kasugai City), 94–104, 96, 97; fees of, 96–100, 103–4; grounds of, 96; income of, 100; Tax Agency’s lawsuit against, 90–91, 100–104, 110, 113, 114, 117– 22, 214n55

Jindaiji Temple (Tokyo), 117, 191Jizō (bodhisattva), 39, 133, 144jōbutsu. See afterlifeJōdo Shinshū (Buddhist sect), 135–37,

139, 141–42, 145, 148–49Jōnan Pet Cemetery, 8Jun’a Ryūen, 218n8

Kachiku Hakuai’in (pet cemetery), 107

Kajishima Takao, 34Kalland, Arne, 18, 23, 75kami, 43, 181–82kamidana. See altarsKanazawa Teramachi pet cemetery

(Ishikawa), 117, 131Kan’eiji sect, 116, 214n53Kankō ruijū, 41Kannōji Temple (Tokyo), 131, 159–

62Kannon (bodhisattva), 1, 38–39, 63kanshasai (rite of gratitude), 6–7Karaflogka, Anastasia, 11karma, 6, 19, 181–82; animal, 38–43,

101, 156–57, 163, 167–68, 172; human, 35–36, 45, 124–25; impor-tance of memorial rites for, 168. See also afterlife

Kawai Hayao, 10Kellert, Stephen, 22kenkashiki (flower-offering ceremony),

7Kenney, Elizabeth, 8–9, 135, 163, 175,

216n34

Index | 261

Kete, Kathleen, 4ki (material force), 26–27, 200n32kigyō (animated forms), 26–27, 199n31,

200n31Kimura Hiroshi, 9Knight, Catherine, 49Knight, John, 15–16, 22, 49, 74–75Kobe Yamada Cemetery (Kobe City),

146–48Koike Yasushi, 185Kōmyōji columbarium, 132Kongō (military dog), 67–68Konjaku monogatari, 38Kōtoku (emperor of Japan), 31–32Kretschmer, Angelika, 9, 54, 79, 81,

115, 130Kuroda Toshio, 53kuyō, 130. See memorial ritesKyōkai, 35Kyūshū godōzaki, 37

laboratory animals, 80–83, 210n106LaFleur, William, 76Land of Bliss, 35, 175–78. See also

Rainbow BridgeLeach, Edmund, 14leather goods, 40, 54Lévi-Strauss, Claude, 23Lewis, David, 72Li Shizhen, 26Linnean taxonomies, 46, 47Lohmann, Larry, 21Long, Hoyt, 38, 40–41Lorenz, Konrad, 15Lotus Sutra, 35–36, 39–40, 94, 159

MacDonogh, Katharine, 3Marcon, Federico, 45Matsuhara Iwao, 21Matsuzaki Kenzō, 9; on military

horse memorials, 207n51; on race-horse memorials, 207n40

medicinal products from animals, 44–45, 57

meishin. See superstitionmemorial rites, 130; human versus

nonhuman, 9–10, 110–18, 124–27, 141–55, 174; for inanimate objects, 54, 95, 101–2, 115–17, 121; Japanese terms for, 6–7. See also animal and pet memorial rites

merit-transfer rites, 135, 144, 160, 216n27, 218n12

Miki Yakumu, 161Miki Yoshikazu, 117mikuji (divination), 29, 92, 95Miller, Ian, 83, 84, 86misaki (divine messengers), 27, 30mizuko, 7–9, 100, 113, 123, 162, 197n30;

family altars and, 132–34, 140; me-morial tablets for, 133–34, 134; pet memorial rites versus, 162; pets as family members and, 132–34, 155; scholarship on, 162, 197n31; spirits of, 162, 163, 192–93; temple memo-rial spaces for, 144

Mizuno (abbot), 151Moeran, Brian, 75monkeys, 81–83, 201n49“Moonlight” poem (Hōnen), 108,

213n36Morikawa, Jun, 75Mushi mezuru himegimi, 2–3Muyo Kūjin, 136–37, 141–42, 145

Nachi (military dog), 67–68Nakamaki Hirochika, 51–52, 66, 72Nakamura Ikuo, 9, 52Nakamura Teiri, 19, 28, 83Nakao Jinroku, 59

262 | Index

naku naru (“pass away”), 154–55Namiyoke Inari Shrine (Tokyo),

76–79, 78Nankyoku monogatari, 191, 222n7Narita Junkyō, 159–62Narushima Etsuo, 84National Institute for Environmental

Studies (Tsukuba), 81necrogeography, 11, 13, 124–26, 141–55, 144, 148, 198n45

needle memorial rites, 111–12; pet versus, 115–17; taxation of, 101, 102, 121

nehanzu (Buddha’s deathbed scene), 96, 108

Nelson, John, 153, 204n106“neofamilism,” 5–6New Age, 6, 193, 217n2. See also

psychicsNieburg, Herbert, 220n40Nihonjinron. See uniqueness theoryNihonmatsu Yasuko, 206n21Nihon ryōiki (Kyōkai), 34, 38, 42–43Nihon shoki, 17, 34, 37ningyō kuyō. See doll memorial ritesNippo jisho (Japanese-Portuguese dic-

tionary), 37, 199n31Nippon Institute for Biological Sci-

ence, 82nonprofit corporations, 92, 103,

214n53nostalgia, 87

obon (festival of the dead), 1, 51, 86, 138, 141, 191; collective memory and, 113–14, 190

Ōdachi Shigeo, 84Ōhira Ken, 122Ōmura Eishō, 5–6

One Heart Stone Company, 152, 218n12

ongaeshi (good fortune), 165Ōnoya tombstone company, 146–47onryō, 6, 205n9. See also vengeful

spiritsŌta Nanpo, 65, 105Ōtsuki Yoshihiko, 184, 221n71,

221n74Ōtsuma Women’s University, 80Ōue Yasuhiro, 80, 81outcasts (eta), 37–38, 202n82Ōyamadera engi, 39Ozawa, Toshio, 10

Pet Bell Pet Shops, 80pet loss therapy, 7–8, 171–72, 177–85,

220n40pet memorial rites, 112–13; animal

memorial rites versus, 112–13; Bud-dhist views of, 7, 135–38, 158–63, 180–81, 218n6; burials and, 124–32, 165; cremation and, 107, 115, 116, 130–32; criticisms of, 93, 110–11, 163, 192–94; demographics at, 10; family altars and, 132–38, 133, 165, 169; fees for, 96–99, 103–4, 107–8, 213n35; for Hachikō, 187–92; insti-tutionalization of, 6–7; practices of, 1–2, 2, 94–95, 108, 189–90, 218n12; profit margins in, 99–100; spiritualist views of, 156–58, 164–85, 175; sponsors of, 113–14; tablets for, 133, 134; taxation of, 101–4, 110–23; vengeful spirits and, 163–70. See also memorial rites

petto kuyō. See pet memorial ritesPet World Rikugien (Tokyo), 136, 176pheasants, 30–31, 59, 207n29

Index | 263

Philo, Chris, 14–15, 125pigeons, 66, 207n50; memorials to,

69–71, 208n62pigs, 40, 72–73; disposal of, 49, 112,

127Pillow Book (of Empress Teishi), 3Plato, 24posthumous names, 111, 123, 125Poultry and Egg Farmer Association,

72Poultry and Egg Trade Association,

77Primate Research Institute (Kyoto

University), 80–81propitiation. See spirit propitiationpsychics, 47, 137, 162; on pets as spiri-

tual companions, 171–85; on pets as vengeful spirits, 163–70. See also New Age

Pure Land scriptures, 25–26, 35–36, 61, 159–62, 201n70, 203n88

qi. See kiQueen Mother of the West, 30–31

raccoon dogs, 19, 28, 34, 64Rainbow Bridge, 177–80, 179, 184,

220n55, 221n56; Land of Bliss and, 35, 175–78. See also afterlife

Rambelli, Fabio, 41, 53, 115, 116Reader, Ian, 121Reider, Noriko, 218n5reishō, 164–65religion: defining characteristics of,

193–94; freedom of, 120, 153, 214n55; public perceptions of, 93, 110–11, 163, 192–94; state separation from, 120–21, 214n55; taxation of, 90–91, 100–114, 117–22, 214n55

Religious Corporations Law, 91–93, 109, 120

Renge’in Temple (Tokyo), 153Rikon (military dog), 68rinne tenshō (rebirth). See karmaRinzai Zen, 94Ritsuyō system, 34Ritvo, Harriet, 4Rōben (Buddhist cleric), 39Rodrigues, João, 199n31Rowe, Mark, 143, 153

sacrifice, animal, 28, 34–35Saichō (founder of Tendai), 39Saihōji Temple (Kanazawa), 117Sakurai Kunio, 112, 120Sanzen’in Temple (Toki City), 94, 161,

213n35Sanzu River, 207n44scapegoating, 34Schaffer, Michael, 5Schattschneider, Ellen, 54, 70, 208n52seals, fur, 105, 212n32segaki service, 1–2, 2, 156–57, 157Sekai Dōbutsu Tomo no Kai (pet

cemetery), 176, 191, 192Serpell, James, 3–4, 14, 122, 184sesshōnin (hunter), 55shamans, 28, 29, 45–46“shape-shifter” (bakemono), 28, 45Sharp, Harold, 171–72, 175shashin kuyō ceremony, 96shibō suru (“pass away”), 154Shimada Hideyuki, 72Shimazono Susumu, 157–58Shinobazu Benten Hall (Tokyo),

76–80, 78Shinryōji cemetery (Tokyo), 8, 151shinu (“die”), 154

264 | Index

Siebold, Philipp Franz Baltasar von, 45

silkworms, 17Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895), 66,

207n50Smith, Jonathan Z., 52, 87Smith, Robert J., 216n28Sōtō Zen sect, 135, 141Soul Mate pet cemetery, 150spirit possession, 45–47, 64, 125. See

also vengeful spiritsspirit propitiation, 6–7, 53, 141, 184; by

food industry, 74; Hachikō Festival for, 187–92; by laboratories, 81; for military horses, 67; pet memori-als and, 108, 167–68; by psychics, 165–70

spiritualists. See psychicsStar Ritual, 33Sterckx, Roel, 24stillbirths. See mizukoSudō Hiroto, 133Suijin’en restaurant, 51superstition, 121, 125, 184sushi. See fishSuwa no mon ritual, 41–42, 55–56, 63Suzuki, D. T., 21Suzuki, Hikaru, 153, 215n81, 216n38Suzuki Shigetane, 200n32Suzuki Wajun, 148, 149, 161–62Swyngedouw, Jan, 72

Takeda Dōshō, 8–9, 113Takita Yōjirō, 123Tale of Genji, 3talismans. See amuletsTanaka Osamu, 119tatari, 79, 165, 221n71. See also venge-

ful spirits

taxation, 93, 192; Ekōin lawsuit over, 90–91, 104–14, 117–22; exemptions from, 90–93, 190; Jimyōin lawsuit over, 90–91, 100–104, 110, 113, 114, 117–22, 214n55

taxidermy, 86, 222n7Tendai sect, 94, 116Terajima Ryōan, 45Tetsugakudō pet cemetery, 153Thomas, Keith, 4, 62tōba (memorial plaques), 1, 80, 95, 99,

105, 108, 165Tokugawa Ietsuna, 105Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, 43–44, 96,

102Tokugawa Yoshimune, 44–45tombstones. See gravestonesTomidokoro Gitoku, 127–28, 163,

166–70Toneyamabō Temple (Osaka), 115tsuchi ni kaesu (“returned to the soil”),

124tsuizen kuyō. See merit-transfer ritesTuan, Yi-Fu, 15, 184turtles, 77

Udagawa Yōan, 24, 45, 199n24Ueno Eisaburō, 187–88, 188Ueno Zoo, 46, 68, 84–85uniqueness theory, 11–12, 17–18, 48,

52, 74–75, 83–85“untimely dead,” 66ushi kuyō, 74Ushitayama Kannonji cemetery (Hi-

roshima), 148Utagawa Kuniyoshi, 65utilitarianism, 19–23Utsunomiya Naoko, 49

Index | 265

van Bremen, Jan, 66vegetarianism, 40, 49, 73Veldkamp, Elmer, 9; on military dogs,

208n57; on military horse memori-als, 208n51

vengeful spirits, 45–47, 79, 165, 205n9, 221n71; of fetuses, 192–93; of foxes, 125; of pets, 6, 64, 164–70, 183–84

veterinarians, 8, 48, 50, 114, 116Vollmer, Klaus, 55

Waka kokinshū, 195n3Waldau, Paul, 199n26waste disposal, 115, 129; of large ani-

mals, 49, 86–87, 112, 127; laws gov-erning, 49, 112, 126–27, 148–49

Watanabe Enmyō, 94, 101, 175–77Watanabe Ken, 191Watsuji Tetsurō, 21weasels, 36, 45–46, 202n73weddings, 92, 102whales, 46; hunting of, 57–58, 206n32;

memorial rites for, 57–62, 61, 62, 75, 85

white animals, 30–32, 45–46witchcraft, 4, 45

Wolch, Jennifer, 14, 198n45wolves, 46, 49, 201n49

Yakushi Nyorai, 96yamabushi (mountain ascetic), 36,

45–46, 202n76Yamamoto Kazuhiko, 125Yamato Takeru, 30Yanagita Kunio, 46–47, 52Yasukuni Shrine: memorials for dead

soldiers at, 121, 208n52; memorials for military animals at, 68–71, 69

Yokota Harumasa, 141, 150–51, 178–83Yoshida Chifumi, 220n40Yūminsha pet cemetery (Kumamoto),

136

Zenkai Meat Corporation, 73zoomorphism, 19–20zoon, Platonic notion of, 24zoos, 9, 46, 50; attendance figures at,

83, 210n114; disposal of dead ani-mals by, 86–87; memorial rites at, 68, 83–87; during World War II, 84, 211n116

about the author

Barbara Ambros is an associate professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She received her Ph.D. in East Asian languages and civilization at Harvard Uni-versity. Among her publications is Emplacing a Pilgrimage: The Ōyama Cult and Regional Religion in Early Modern Japan (Harvard University Asia Center, 2008). She lives in Chapel Hill with her husband, two dogs, two parakeets, and eleven goldfish.

Production Notes for Ambros | bones of contentionCover design by Julie Matsuo-ChunInterior design and composition by April LeidigText in Garamond Premier Pro and display type in Fresco SansPrinting and binding by Sheridan Books, Inc.Printed on 60 lb. House Natural Hi-Bulk, 420 ppi.

cover art

Dōbutsu Kannon at Sanzen’in, Toki City, Gifu Prefecture

cover design

Julie Matsuo-Chun

ISBN 978-0-8248-3674-0

9 780824 836740

90000

www.uhpress.hawaii.edu

“This book is a fascinating study of pet memorial rites in contemporary Japan, demonstrating on every page that the subject of rituals for pets is deeply seri-ous. Based on fieldwork at pet cemeteries (many of which are managed by Buddhist temples), zoos, and aquariums, as well as detailed investigation of historical antecedents and fine-grained analysis of recent legal cases involving pet memorial rites, Ambros presents a rich and highly readable ethnography. In its broadest terms, the study portrays a debate about the borderlines where species meet. For many in Japan today, pets are, or are almost, family mem-bers; for others, preoccupation with pets seems irrational or pathetic. Given that the main group paying to memorialize their pets are women, the debate takes on a biting gender dynamic. Approaching the emergence of pet funerals and memorials as a new ritual form within ‘Japan’s necral landscape,’ Ambros eschews the notion that pet cemeteries represent an uncomplicated extension of traditional Japanese conceptions of nature, arguing instead that they are ‘a response to modernity with its inherent commodification and consumption of animals.’ This book will intrigue all who take an interest in contemporary debates on the meaning of human life.”—helen hardacre, Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies, Harvard University

“This tightly written, thoroughly researched, and timely book sheds new light on important questions of contemporary Japanese life. It is ultimately about how Japanese people think and feel about pets and other kinds of animals and, in turn, what pets and their people tell us about life and death in Japan today. Ambros’ compelling exploration of the necrogeography and religious politics of pet mortuary rites will take the field in a new direction. It is the first work I know of to deal so fully with one of the most distinctly Japanese aspects of this issue: ritualized mourning for dead animals. Bones of Conten-tion will be read by scholars of anthropology, history, and religious studies both inside and outside of Japanese studies as well as by those with an interest in animals, pets, and pet-keeping.”—ian miller, Harvard University

“In this thoughtfully argued book, Barbara Ambros adroitly maneuvers through difficult terrain—rituals of death, changing cultural conceptions, and the relationships between humans and other animals. While many such studies of animals as pets have focused on North American and European cultures, Ambros’ work in East Asian studies is groundbreaking. Bones of Contention opens up a whole new area in the rapidly emerging field of animal studies and religion.”—laura hobgood-oster, Southwestern University, author of The Friends We Keep: Unleashing Christianity’s Compassion for Ani-mals and Holy Dogs and Asses: Animals in the Christian Tradition

BARBARA R. AMBROS is associate professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Japanese religion

UNIVERSITY of HAWAI‘I PRESSHonolulu, Hawai‘i 96822-1888